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What’s the Best Hardwood Floor Scrubber? Top Products in 2024

Hardwood Floor Scrubber

Floor scrubbers are a game-changer for tackling messes and grime efficiently while keeping high standards of tidiness. These handy tools use abrasive pads and powerful electric motors to make floor cleaning a breeze.

With the variety of cleaning tools available – from steam cleaners to traditional mops – choosing the perfect floor scrubber might seem overwhelming. The right choice hinges on your flooring type and cleaning needs. For smaller tasks, such as sprucing up an entryway or tackling spot stains, a budget-friendly manual floor cleaner fits the bill. For larger areas or a more thorough sanitization of hard floors, consider investing in an electric or steam mop.

Learn more about the types of hardwood floor scrubbers, top products in 2024, and what to consider when buying one.

Types of hardwood floor scrubbers

The ones that damage the floors

When choosing a hardwood floor scrubber, keep two key factors in mind: the finish of your floor and the tool’s potential to scratch. Any scrubber that could scratch or remove the floor’s finish should be avoided entirely.

Homeowners often reach for heavy-duty scrubbers like hard-wire brushes or wire-mesh scrubbers to tackle stubborn stains. However, these tools are typically too abrasive. They can wear away the finish and leave scratches, compromising the floor’s durability and lifespan.

Another scrubber to avoid is the string mop. While it won’t scratch the finish like a wire brush, it tends to leave excess moisture on the floor. Unless you consistently wring it out or dry the floor with a separate cloth, the moisture can seep into the wood grain, causing it to weaken and warp over time.

The ones that gently do the job

The golden rule for selecting a safe floor scrubber is that the more gentle it is, the better. Manufacturers are continually developing gentler cleaning tools in response to demand, such as microfiber mops or even everyday dishcloths.

In addition to choosing the right scrubber, it’s essential to use a safe, natural product, to clean your wood floors regularly. With proper care and maintenance, you’ll be able to enjoy their beauty for years to come.

Top hardwood floor scrubbers in 2024

1. Oreck Commercial Orbiter Cleaner

The professional commercial floor scrubber is great for tough or heavy-duty cleaning tasks, due to its robust design and versatility. 

Its 40-foot cord offers extensive reach and unlimited cleaning time, allowing you to clean large areas without frequent interruptions. This scrubber is adaptable, effectively mopping all hard floors and loosening dirt from carpets. The orbital cleaning pattern ensures a flawless finish without leaving brush marks or streaks on the flooring. 

However, its high cost and power may not be justifiable for the average homeowner, and its 33-pound weight can make it challenging to move from room to room.

2. Everybot Edge2 Hyper Performance Floor Mopping Robot

The Everybot Edge2 Hyper Performance Floor Mopping Robot has impressive cleaning capabilities with its spinning mop pads that effectively remove dirt, cling to pet hair, and scrub off messes. 

Its compact 3.52-inch height allows it to fit under most furniture, ensuring thorough cleaning even in hard-to-reach areas. This robot doesn’t require an app, as it comes with a remote featuring six mopping modes for easy control. Additionally, it provides four moisture settings, giving users the ability to control the amount of water used. However, it is limited to using water only, as cleaners and disinfectants may damage the water tank.

3. Shark S7001 Mop Floor Scrubber

The Shark floor scrubber stands out with its rotating steamer pads and an LED light that illuminates debris and dirt for enhanced visibility. Instead of relying just on cleaning detergents, this scrubber features a powerful steamer. The combination of two rotating pads and a steady flow of hot steam effectively breaks up grime and wipes it away while also killing germs with heat. The use of steam eliminates the need for chemical-based cleaners, making it safer for households with kids and pets

However, it may leave streaks if the floor isn’t fully dry after cleaning.

4. Karcher 1-Speed 0.1-Gallon Floor Scrubber

The Karcher 1-Speed 0.1-Gallon Floor Scrubber is perfect for those with limited storage space who prefer a lightweight, upright design. This battery-powered scrubber features separate tanks for detergent and dirty water and a bottle of concentrate cleaner to get you started. Each unit includes a parking station that charges the battery between uses. 

Despite its compact size, the rolling scrubbers pack a punch, though the added power comes with a limited runtime of just 20 minutes per charge.

5. Rubbermaid Reveal Power Scrubber

The Rubbermaid Reveal Power Scrubber is designed for ease of use with its small spot-cleaning design that requires minimal effort from the user. Its effective spinning head tackles dirt and grime in hard-to-reach areas, and it includes two brush heads – straight and tapered – for versatile cleaning. 

Batteries are included for added convenience, though the small size limits its use to smaller areas and frequent battery replacements can become costly.

6. Libman No Knees Floor Scrub Brush

The Libman No Knees floor scrub brush, with its pointed brush head that swivels, is perfect for reaching tight spaces, such as under furniture and in corners. Its pointed and angled head easily navigates corners, and its 180-degree swivel allows it to glide past obstacles and fit under most furniture. The handle height is comfortable, and cleaning the brush is very simple – you rinse the bristles in the sink.

What to consider when buying a hardwood floor scrubber

When choosing a scrubber for your floors, it’s important to consider compatibility with various hard surfaces such as hardwood, laminate, tile, stone, and brick. Dry scrubbers are often safer for hardwood floors, especially if there are gaps between floorboards. However, any hardwood with a lacquer finish should work well with most scrubbers.

Electric or manual?

Floor scrubbers include everything from vacuums to hand brushes; basically, any tool that helps scrub your floors falls into this category. This wide range contains both electric and manual options. 

  • Electric floor scrubbers: These are either battery-powered or plugged into a wall outlet. They feature spinning or suction mechanisms that make cleaning faster and more thorough. 
  • Manual floor scrubbers: These are similar to traditional cleaning tools and rely on your own effort to provide scrubbing power. Manual scrubbers are generally more affordable and compact, making them ideal for those with limited space.

Other features

Many floor scrubbers come with added features to enhance their cleaning capabilities. These may include suction for picking up debris or steamers to loosen stuck-on grime. Some models come with multiple scrubber heads to tackle different areas, such as tight corners or bathroom floors, and a few include buffing pads or polishing heads to make your floor shine after scrubbing away dirt and grime.

First Atlanta Flooring is a trusted source for premium hardwood floor products, featuring a wide curated selection of leading brands and products. Contact us today if you need help in bringing your old floors back to life!